The President traveled with most of the
state’s political heavyweights, meeting Governor Andrew Cuomo and New
York City mayor Michael Bloomberg at JFK airport when he arrived on Air
Force One with Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand in tow.

Once they arrived in Staten Island, they were joined by Congressman Michael Grimm who represents the district which lost 23 of New York City’s 40 fatalities.

Hearing their stories: Mr Obama arrived in New York on Thursday and used the trip as a way to see how the recovery process is going in the state following Hurricane Sandy

Consoler-in-chief: Obama hugged a woman at one of the FEMA disaster recovery centers in Staten Island

Concern: Governor Cuomo (left) has visited New York City multiple times since the October 29th storm but this is the first time for Obama

Two of those victims were
Brandon and Connor Moore, the 2- and 4-year-old brothers who were swept
away in the water when their mother tried to save them from their car.

‘I had the opportunity to give some hugs, and communicate some thoughts and prayers to the Moore family,’ the President said.

‘Obviously
I expressed to them as a father as a parent my heartbreak over what
they went through… they still obviously are a little shell-shocked.’

VIDEO: Obama speaks after touring New York's devastation from Sandy:

Parting words: Sheila and Dominic Traina show the letters written by two of their granddaughters- ages 11 and 14- to the President

Messages: The girls wrote of how their grandparent's home was completely destroyed

Lasting impression: Maggie, 11, added the fact that she voted for the President in a school poll

Whatever it takes: Alissa Lordo made a sign out of a pizza box to get her message across

He
said that even in their state of grief, they urged the President to
thank NYPD Lt. Kevin Gallagher who helped the desperate mother Glenda
look for her missing boys.

‘That's
not in the job description of Lt. Gallagher. He did that because that’s
what so many of our first responders do- they go above and beyond,’ Mr
Obama said in his remarks.

The President's trip to New York is long due as of 106 deaths that resulted from the storm, 47 were residents of the Empire State.

Thanks: The President dedicated a significant amount of his brief talk to thanking emergency service workers and local sanitation workers

PERSISTENT PROBLEMS

The hugs and kind words for rescue workers that President Obama shelled out during his visit to Staten Island on Thursday did not cure all of the ailments facing the city.

According to the traveling press pool report, a young girl whose family's house was extensively damaged in the storm derided the President for waiting more than two weeks to visit the area.

'We need help--he should of been here a long time ago,' she said.

One aspect of the storm's destruction that he didn't see was the ongoing problems in Lower Manhattan. While power has been restored to the vast majority of the City, one of the remaining dark spots is on the Lower East Side where a high rise apartment building that is home to many elderly and sick residents is still without power.

'It makes for a feeling of isolation and abandonment, really,' said 73-year-old Marcia Kruger who has been living in her 10th floor apartment throughout the black out.

In his introduction for Mr Obama,
Governor Cuomo said: ‘17 days ago we felt a new vulnerability for the
first time… We must reknit the fabric of communities.’

‘We take comfort and knowing that we are not alone. While we have not had heat in our homes, our hearts have been warm.’

Homeland
Security secretary Janet Napolitano and the secretary of Housing and
Urban Development Shaun Donovan also joined the group.

In his brief speech, the President announced that moving forward, Mr Donovan will be the federal point person for all things having to do with the rebuilding effort, since FEMA’s main concern is limited to that of immediate recovery assistance.

Though it was President Obama's first trip to the state since the October 29th storm, Ms Napolitano has made several appearances with the New York leaders as she helped co-ordinate federal relief efforts.

One of the first tasks will likely be Governor Cuomo’s request for $30billion in federal aid for the state in order to pay for the rebuilding process.

New fan: This is the first face-to-face meeting between Mayor Bloomberg (right) and President Obama since he endorsed his candidacy

Coming in from DC: President Obama exits Air Force One with New York Senators Kirsten Gillabrand and Charles Schumer at JFK

The President’s press secretary said
that though the White House has yet to get the specific details, they
are eager to help and will consider the request.

Immediately after the storm, Mr Obama
supposedly wanted to visit New York City but Mayor Bloomberg asked the
President not to come as he feared that the security detail and
motorcade involved with a traveling head of state would detract from
necessary relief efforts.

Shout out: Lt. Kevin Gallagher was praised by President Obama for the work that he did for the mother whose two boys went missing and were eventually found dead

Instead, Mr Obama visited New Jersey and had a similar helicopter trip and tour of damaged areas along the shoreline.

That trip was rife with political implications because Governor Christie is a popular Republican rising star and was, at the time, a vocal supporter of President Obama's opponent Mitt Romney.

This time, much of the partisan tension will be absent as all of the politicians present are Democrats.

Mayor Bloomberg, the only Independent of the group, even ended up endorsing the President before the election and in his letter he explained that a large part of his reasoning stems from his dedication to fight global warming.

It is also a big day for Governor Andrew Cuomo as he is considered one of the top prospects for the Democratic presidential nomination after Mr Obama leaves office in 2016. Cuomo was seen grinning widely when they first hugged after touching down at JFK airport, and stood alongside the President as he spoke to families who were struck by the tragedy.

The only Republican present for Mr Obama’s Thursday trip to New York was Rep. Grimm, but the President was sure to make the point that partisanship is not the issue.

He explained that the recovery process
would require coordination with their New Jersey counterparts,
something that he must have sensed would not come naturally.

‘We're going to have to put some of the turf battles aside,’ Obama said during his Staten Island remarks.

In for the hug: Cuomo, thought to be a front-runner for the presidential nomination in 2016, seemed very happy to see Mr Obama

Heading out: Of the more than 100 fatalities from Hurricane Sandy, 43 of them were in New York and 23 of those took place in Staten Island

Touching down: The politicians- headed by President Obama and Governor Cuomo (center)- met at the airport before heading on the Marine One helicopter for an aerial tour of Queens and Staten Island to show the President the damage